The House with the Blue Window
by live.in.books
Summary: The last few month's of James and Lily's lives when under the Fidelius Charm, up to the moment of their death. Hopefully it will bring a few sweet moments and a few tears along the way.
1. Chapter 1

If you look into a window, you can see all kinds of things. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes bizarre, frequently mundane, but always different. One particular window, set with a blue frame into a white, wooden house had its fair share of strange and wondrous happenings. It belonged to man, a man with untidy black hair and glasses, who liked nothing better than to sit at that window with his son and watch the world.

As you looked further into this window, you saw a woman. She sat not far from the man, in a comfortable chair beside the fireplace. Her long hair, a brilliant red that was unmarred by grey, fell around her face hiding her expression. In her hands, she held a book that was well worn and faded, but well loved. As she read, a slow smile brushed over her face. This haltingly, grudgingly turned into a laugh that lit up the whole room. The man turned, as did the child.

'Reading Oliver Twist again, Lily?' asked the man, the lines by his eyes crinkling in amusement.  
'Well, I can hardly pop down to the library and find a new book. Therefore, this shall have to do' she replied lightheartedly.  
'Do you want something else to read?' he asked her.  
'It would be nice.'  
'I could grab my cloak, run down and…'  
'No James,' she interrupted. 'I will not have you risking your life just so that I can have some new reading material. Remus is coming round in a couple of days, and I'm sure he will bring something then.'

The man, James, nodded and settled back down in his chair, a petulant look on his face. He wanted so badly to get out of that house, to go beyond the window and breathe the fresh air.

Lilly noticed his frustration, as she always did, and putting down her book she walked over to him. He lent into her, grinning as her hair tickled his nose. Seizing her advantage, she reached her fingers around and mercilessly tickled her husband. He in turn leapt up away from his tormentor, grabbing his wand from where it lay on the table.

"A duel, my fair lady," he called with bravado, flourishing his hands in an elaborate bow.  
"Look how he dreams," Lily replied, sinking into a feral crouch, wand bared. "He thinks he can beat me!"  
"He knows he can beat you, and so stakes a prize. May the loser wash the dishes." James then turned to his son, who was sitting and playing in the corner. "Harry, you're my second. No pressure."  
"Dada!" cried the boy, picking up a small wooden stick and pointing it at his father.  
"You're meant to be on my team, Harry. Point that thing at your mother." James told him, in mocking seriousness. Lily laughed, before casting a blue light from her wand.

"Are you ready yet, my challenger? Let the battle commence."  
"Levicorpus," he immediately yelled, brandishing his wand with large swoops. Although it was a silent spell, he thought he should speak it, so not to be convicted of foul play. It was an act he did not need to bother with. Lily impetuously brushed the spell away with a swish of her own wand.  
"Is that all he has?" she mocked, flicking her hair out of her eyes. James replied with a flurry of spells, each more ridiculous than the last. One to temporarily turn his wife blue, another that would give her a beard and a third that caused the rug to try to roll her up. Spell after spell was blocked, until James threw out his final ace.

"Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!?" Lily repeated incredulously after the spell had harmlessly passed through her. "You used riddikulus on me?" She was momentarily speechless, turning away to hide her grin from James. However he knew her too well, and began laughing along. But his smile instantly vanished as Lily turned back around with mock fury in her eyes. She finally had regained her voice and continued berating him. "How dare you! Riddikulus! Oh, it's on now Stagboy." James backed away, hands held up in a futile plea for mercy.

"Please Lily. I know you're not a boggart. Honest! Calm down a little."  
"I'll show you calm" she replied, before bringing her wand up and pointing it at James. Coolly, she said just one word. "Rictusempra." James was instantly on the ground, writhing with laughter as the charm did its work, tickling him even worse than Lily had earlier.

"Mercy," he gasped, "have mercy." Lily approached, kneeling beside him.  
"What was that, my dear?" she asked him  
"Mercy, please. I'll even do the dishes."

She removed the curse, and laughed at him. "You are a ridiculous man. Beaten by a tickle."

"Shouldn't that be a riddikulus man?" he replied mischievously before swooping in and kissing away her protestations. They then sat there on the floor, arm in arm, watching their son play obliviously on.

"We might be stuck in here," she told him softly, "but at least we're stuck here together."  
"I wouldn't want to be stuck with anyone else," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "Come on, tomorrow's not going to prepare itself, and then I have dishes to do."


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: Hopefully you're enjoying the story! Let me know what you think - feedback good or bad is welcome (:_

* * *

The following day dawned bright and clear, the sun heralded by a chorus of birds. It was a glorious late summer's day in Godric's Hollow and it was Harry Potter's first birthday.

Harry, of course, was unaware of this, but was more than happy to be the sole focus of his parents' affection. They showered him with kisses and presented him with a toy owl, which he instantly fell in love with. Lily had also made a cake, upon which 'happy birthday' was written in flowing golden script.

"What, no owl cake to match his present?" asked James when he first saw it. Lily whacked him on the arm.

"Decoration spells are not my forte. It tastes amazing, so that's all I care about." She then reached into the bowl of unused icing, and wiped some of it onto the tip of James' nose. However, when he grabbed the bowl himself to retaliate, she stopped him. "Don't give Harry any bad ideas." James looked proud, but quickly agreed with his wife. There was plenty of time to help him get into mischief later.

* * *

"Who's supposed to be coming?" asked Lily nervously, clutching handfuls of cutlery to set the table with. James thought for a moment, before counting on his fingers, "There's Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail… I didn't ask Dumbledore, he was too busy, told us last month he wouldn't see us until almost Christmas. Bathilda's sick, she still's recovering from Kneazle Cough, and doesn't want to give it to the baby." His voice trailed off, leaving his list uncompleted.

"And the rest of the Order don't know where we are. So a grand total of three." Lily finished for him.

"All the more cake for us, aye Harry!" said James, picking him up and spinning him around. Lily smiled at the two people she cared most about. How typical of James, trying to make the most of an awful situation. She knew that he missed being outside and fighting more than her, but still he focused on lighting up the mood. Harry's joyful shrieks were proof enough of James' success on that front.

And so, the table was set, the cake prepared and James and Lily who were dressed in their best cloaks, waited for their friends to arrive. Initially, Lily read, to give the impression of nonchalance whilst James entertained Harry. However, as the hours passed, both became increasingly restless, along with Harry who perhaps noticed his parents' discomfort.

The pages of Lily's book were now only infrequently turned, as she spent minutes staring out the window or at the un-opening door. When the clock chimed five, she jumped with surprise. It was now four hours after their friends were supposed to arrive and all hope of their coming was lost.

Lily was the first to voice it. " They'll just have forgotten the day" she said, desperately trying to convince herself of the fact. "They'll turn up next Saturday trying to figure out where the cake is."

James chose a different line to explain away his worries. "It'll be Order stuff, Lily. They were too busy. But they'll be fine."

"They'll be fine." She echoed, unable to face the probable truth, that their friends had indeed been working for the Order of the Phoenix, but were now injured or dead. The pair didn't need to say it, the thought had been running through both their minds for hours like a broken record. Neither could have said it, even if they'd tried. It was due to be a long evening, desperately waiting for, yet dreading a message from someone who had news.

Wandering over to the kitchen, Lily tidied away the cutlery on the table, and cut two large slices of cake.

"C'mon James, we can't let it go to waste. Cake fixes everything." She took a large bite as if to prove her point, then slid the second piece over to her husband. Harry started waving his arms around, wanting a piece of his own. Feigning amusement, Lily cut a third, smaller slice and passed it to her son who immediately made a mess of it.

"Happy Birthday Harry," she whispered, "Make a wish."


	3. Chapter 3

Lily and James were both reading when they heard the knock on the door. It was thoroughly typical for Lily to be engrossed in a novel, but James' interest in books had only begun when the boredom of being cooped up did. Needless to say, he preferred books with heroic deeds and large battles, even though they reminded him of the life he was missing out on.

Because of this, when he heard the knock on the door, his first thought was that it was an intruder.

"I'll hold him off Lily. You go and stay safe with Harry."

She stared up at him, confused but amused at the same time. "What on earth are you talking about? You're saving me from who?" At that moment, the man, dressed in a shabby, hooded cloak walked into the living room.

"Do you have a silencing charm now as well?" he asked good-naturedly. "Why didn't you open the door?"

"Remus!" Lilly jumped up and embraced him. "You didn't tell us you were coming! Watch out that James doesn't try to duel you, he seems to think that I need saving." She grinned at her husband, who shook his head, and put his wand down feeling foolish.

"Good to see you too Lily," replied Remus, nodding to James, who now looked very pleased to see his old friend again. "Sorry it's been so long. I had to go into hiding myself. Some people decided that all werewolves were working for Voldemort, myself included.

James growled in annoyance. "How dare they. Don't they know what you're doing for them all?"

"Well actually James, they don't" joked Lupin, trying to lighten the mood again.

Harry, sitting beside them suddenly burst out "Lulu!" providing a perfect subject change. "Hey Harry, how's the birthday boy? Still tormenting your parents?" Remus said, lifting him up so they could see eye to eye. "Getting big isn't he?" Lupin then mentioned to Lily and James, who were trying to contain their mirth.

"Yeah, he's growing up fast," snorted James before continuing. "He's just starting to talk. I'm Dada, Lily is Ma, but it looks like you've been dubbed Lulu. Very dignified." Lupin started laughing as well, unfazed by the jokes that would no doubt ensue once word got out.

The adults then gathered around the table, Lily bringing out the cake, which had remained largely untouched.

"Help yourself Remus. You're looking far too skinny." He gratefully accepted a large slice, along with a strong cup of tea and began to talk, giving James and Lily much desired news.

"There's not much changed since last time I'm afraid," he began, "Lovely cake by the way Lily. But Voldemort is still hunting for the pair of you, he's determined to fulfil this prophecy before it's too late. And he thinks it's Harry, only Dumbledore seems to know why, and he won't tell the rest of us…" Remus trailed off, looking hopefully at James, who just shrugged unknowingly. "Anyway, it's not safe for you to come out yet, so the fidelius charm will have to stay.

However, in looking for you, Voldemort hasn't had enough time to rampage and kill like normal, so that's good for us. We now have the chance to get a step ahead of him, rather than running behind and fixing things like usual. People are still terrified, though. And none have the courage to help us. Except for Hestia Jones, she joined last month.

As for deaths, there was only Benjy Fenwick since I last visited you. Poor thing. We never got his body back it was blasted into pieces, but we held a nice memorial." Here, Lily stifled a sob, causing James to put a comforting arm around her. Lily had been close to Benjy at Hogwarts, and she always took deaths hard.

"Dumbledore has been busy as always, we all have in fact. Sirius was on some last minute mission yesterday for him as a matter of fact. That's why he couldn't come for Harry's birthday, but I'm sure he'll drop by as soon as he's done. He scrawled a hasty note for me before he left, I haven't actually seen him since we were all here last."

"And Peter?" interjected James, who worried that his friend didn't have the skills to survive the war.

"I last saw Wormtail last week. He seemed well but quite distracted. I suppose it's just the stress getting to him, he never was suited to warfare. But wasn't he supposed to come yesterday?"

"He was, but he never showed up. I suppose he was just busy with Order stuff and that takes priority. But will you stay for dinner Remus? It's my night to cook, so if you're not scared of poisoning you're welcome to join us."

"I'd love to. Do you want a hand in the kitchen James, just so long as Lily doesn't worry that we'll burn it down together. By the way, I've left a pile of books for you in the hallway Lily, as well as some other bits and pieces for you all."

They passed a pleasant evening, chatting, laughing and just enjoying each others company. All three were lonely, James and Lily confined to the house with few visitors and Remus faced worse prejudice than ever thanks to Voldemort's reign. But that night, all their troubles were forgotten and just for a few hours, the world seemed right.

* * *

_Author's note: Thank you to everyone who is reading, hopefully you like it and it would mean the world to me if you could tell me what you think! (: I'm trying my best to update every couple of days._


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: Irrelevant, but a massive congrats to Germany for winning the football world cup 3 _

* * *

On that same night, Dumbledore was facing multiple problems, the largest of which was time. He ached, from trying to fit more hours into the day and so finish the innumerable tasks that arose when leading a war. Everyone wanted him, everything needed his attention and to be frank, all he wanted to do was teach. However, it was the summer holidays of what had been a very long year and so there was no teaching to be done. It was strange, he thought, that although he never seemed to have enough time in the present, the past stretched out to unimaginable lengths, even though at the time the hours felt just as rushed.

Dumbledore then chuckled to himself. Ponderings like this were the mark of old men, and although he didn't often feel it, he was very, very old. This was probably the reason why he was always unable to finish his tasks - distractions.

Naturally, at that moment Dumbledore had many distractions, but the most pressing one was a rumour of a cloak that he had been searching for, for many years.

"Stop it Albus," he muttered to himself, "don't even think of it, you have more pressing matters. Come now, you let all this go years ago. Focus." He forced himself to turn back to the task at hand, reading through reports from various members of the Order of the Phoenix. He did well, until he came upon one from Remus, which contained the footnote:

_Having visited Godric's Hollow recently, I urge Order of the Phoenix members who know of the Potter's circumstances to pay them a visit. I fear the pair are lonely and in need of company. Both are also struggling with feelings of uselessness and want nothing more than to leave the house and help the cause._

Dumbledore stood up abruptly, knocking back his chair in his hurry. "Visit the Potters, cheer them up. It'll be for the good, the greater good. Mention the cloak in passing and see what comes of it. It's for the Potter's sake only." He then paused, turning ashen as he realised the impact of his words. He had repeated a phrase he never thought to utter again, one that brought back all the foolishness of his youth. Oh, it would be a mistake to go there, he knew it. But whether he could resist the temptation was a mystery. All he could do was try.

Righting his chair, he once again sat and immersed himself in the war that he was trying so very hard to win. Alastor had worrying news, that was good. It would keep him busy for a week at least, which gave him plenty of time to forget.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: I just want to apologise about the length of this chapter - it's just a fill in to show time passing and all that jazz. Anyway because of its shortness I was able to update really quickly woo! But I promise that the rest of the chapters will be back to the normal length._

* * *

10,080 minutes merged together, carrying along another week past the world. The Potter's had no visitors during this time, and Lily was already well through the immense pile of books that Remus had given her. Her favourite of them all was a small, dog-eared copy of _Hogwarts: A History_, which upon discovering, she gave out a cry of joy.

"I haven't read this for ages! Come look James." When he glanced at the book that Lily was holding reverently in her hands he it gave a look of disgust.

"That book there was the cause of many hours of boredom. I simply can't understand the enjoyment you get out of it." She tutted at him and sat down to immediately start reading. James just shook hid head in disbelief. He loved his wife, but sometimes he was forced to admit that he didn't really deserve her. She was far too good for him.


	6. Chapter 6

"There were once three brothers who were travelling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river, too deep to wade through, and too dangerous to swim across. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands, and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it, when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure, and it was Death…"

Lily, who was reading Harry his bedtime story, did not pause when she heard footsteps enter the room. She assumed it would be James, coming in to say goodnight as he did every day. She was therefore startled when the man started speaking.

"A nice story, that one. I always did like Beedle, I have the original at Hogwarts, you know." It was Dumbledore, speaking tersely despite his kind words. Harry reached up his arms, babbling happily at the visitor. The blue eyes that lay behind his half-moon glasses smiled down at him, deepening the laughter lines that swirled across his face. "He's looking well, but I fear I may have just ruined any chance of getting him to sleep."

"Don't even worry about it," Lily said, ushering him down the stairs, "does James know you're here?"

"No, he doesn't" replied Dumbledore good-naturedly. "I must have slipped past him on the way up. Ah, here he is!" Downstairs, they found James standing beside the front door, looking puzzled as he examined Dumbledore's travelling cloak, which had been hung up. When he heard their voices, he glanced up, bewilderment turning into pleasure.

"Dumbledore! To what do we owe this pleasure?'

"Well now, just dropping in to say hello and spread a bit of news with you. Boil up a pot and we'll have a natter."

"First of all, comes the bad news, but fear not because there can only be shadows when there is light nearby. One week ago, I received an owl from Moody, telling me about the capture of Amelia Bones by a large number of Death Eaters. As you can imagine this worried me a great deal, so I, along with Sirius, Moody and several other Aurors chased down Nott and Runcorn who were two of those responsible. Well, we found them all right, tucked up in the Hogshead, which for some strange reason the Death Eaters have always found an affinity for. Seem to think the bartender is on their side, however did they get that idea." Dumbledore broke off to chuckle quietly to himself, while James and Lily worriedly waited for him to continue.

"Ah, as I was saying. We found Nott and Runcorn and we asked them a few questions. Of course they didn't tell us where Voldemort or what his plans were, but they did let slip a couple of interesting titbits that they didn't think were of import. Firstly, they confirmed that there was indeed an informer in the Order of the Phoenix, and that this person was one who we would never see coming. Their words were something to that effect, anyhow."

"Worrying news, but that hardly narrows down who this informer could be," interjected James, "That's the whole point of traitors. You never know who they are until it's too late. Otherwise it wouldn't be a betrayal."

"True, however I think we can narrow it down a little. Name five people who you would never dream would betray you."

James answered with only the slightest hesitation. "Lily, Sirius, Remus, Peter and you."

"As we can safely assume it is not I or Lily who are the informers," Dumbledore continued sadly, "it must therefore be one of the other three."

"No. It wouldn't be. I trust them all with my life. They would never betray us. They couldn't! I don't believe you, and I know what you're going to say next. The answer is no, I am not going to change secret keeper. Besides, what makes you think it is someone close to me as opposed to someone close to you."

"Calm yourself, my dear boy. Perhaps you are right. Only time will tell."

Suddenly Lily burst out, "But what about Amelia Bones? Did you find her!" At this, Dumbledore began to chuckle again.

"My dear Lily, by the time we arrived Amelia was long gone. She escaped two days after she was captured and lay low for a while. A week after her capture, once we had encountered the Death Eaters she came to us and told everything. Most marvellous woman, that one is."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief, as did James.

"I just have one more thing to say," said Dumbledore after a long moments silence. He seemed to be struggling with himself, letting the words out slowly and painfully, as if trying to keep them in. "Could I ask a favour James, and borrow that marvellous invisibility cloak of yours. I can, of course, make myself invisible without it, but there are a few things I wanted to see about it. Would you mind?"

"Not at all," replied James who immediately left to go find it.

"Thank you," whispered Lily as soon as he had left the room. "Everyday he becomes more tempted to use it and go outside. If you don't take it, who knows what will happen."

"Hmmm?" Dumbledore asked, shaking his head as if waking up from a reverie. "So sorry, wasn't listening to that." However, James returned before Lily could repeat herself. He passed the cloak over to Dumbledore, who looked over it approvingly. "Thank you ever so much James. This will be most useful. Now, I must be off. Toodle pip!"

On that note, he disapparated, leaving Lily and James none the reassured after the meeting. James was staring at the space where Dumbledore had just been sitting, annoyance etched through his face.

"There was no need for him to borrow the cloak," he muttered. "And as for the betrayer being one of our friends. Madness!"

* * *

_Author's note: Hello all, thanks to everyone who has been reading, but please review and tell me what you think! Even if you hate it, it's still good to know (:_


	7. Chapter 7

The next day brought the first storm of autumn, with winds and rain that rattled the windowpanes and reached cold fingers into every gap. The weather only served to deepen James' gloom further, which had been low ever since Dumbledore's visit and the suggestion of a traitor.

Lily had tried talking to him, but he would hear none of it, maintaining a pointed silence all the while the subject was brought up. She knew he didn't mean to hurt her, but it was the first time he had ever turned away from her and it was worse than the damage any spell could do. She would now just avoid the subject, speaking of banal things that might lift his spirit. She might have been discussing politics with Harry for the good it did. Naturally, James made an effort to laugh and smile, but it was never enough to fool his wife.

* * *

The nights were worse.

The moon shone overhead, pale and mocking like the eye of some giant, malicious creature. However, it wasn't hooded that night and the full moon boded ill for many.

James was once again sitting by the window, staring out into the sky. His wife and child were asleep, but he could not tear his eyes away from the moon as it traced its path across the heavens. The storm had cleared up, but it was only a short relief; the worst was yet to come.

If you were to look into that window, however, a very different sight would greet you compared to the one of several weeks past. Because although James sat by the window, you would not know it, for he had transformed into a large stag, his antlers casting strange shadows on the wall behind. He felt closer to his friends that way, as they were the ones with whom he had spent countless nights with in this form.

James thought he was alone, however unbeknownst to him, Lily had wondered why he had not come to bed and was wandering the house to find him. When she entered the living room, where he sat looking out the window, she paused, not even breathing. She did not wish to disturb his vigil and instinctively knew that he would not want her to see this.

However her footsteps, quiet as they had been, were still well within hearing for a stag. James turned to face her, changing back into a human as he did so. Quietly he said to Lily as he stared up to the full moon, "he won't be the traitor. I can just feel it."

Lily took this as a sign to approach, and standing beside him at the window, she embraced him with all the love she could muster. "If it's not Remus, then who? Wormtail? Padfoot? Me?"

"Of course it's not you." His voice broke and tears began to run down his face, glinting in the moonlight. "People shouldn't betray other people. They're cowards, that's what they are. And blind. They can't see the good in what they have, or the good in the people who love them."

"We'll get through this," Lily told him gently, "as long as we stick together everything will work out. Whoever it is, they're nothing compared to all the other people out there who love you."

"I hate him, whoever the traitor is," James said with sudden venom, "I hate him, but how can I hate when I love him as well. And how can I, when he's my friend? When we're all sticking together, how do I know that I'm not sticking with a traitor as well."

"This is what Voldemort does, James. He spreads hate and fear and the only way we can fight him is if we remember how to love and how to hope. You can't let Voldemort win, you have to stay strong. Do it for me, do it for your son. Please James, don't give up."

He stepped back and cupped Lily's cheeks in his palms, angling her face up to his so that their eyes locked. "Trust me Lily, I'm not going to give up. I'm going to fight until there's no more fighting to be done. And I am never going to stop loving you." Bending down, just slightly, he kissed her, long and slow letting it speak where words could not.

"I love you James," she whispered when they parted.

"And I, you."

* * *

_Author's note: Okay, I was a bit worried about this chapter, but I really hope I got all the emotions right and made you lot feel something. I would love it if you could tell me what you thought, let me know if I succeeded or not (: _


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's note: Fun fact, it's my birthday today, so give this a review or a follow or a fav and make my day (: Thanks for reading everyone!_

* * *

Sirius had always been confident and just slightly cocky, strutting around Hogwarts with James as if he owned the place. And to be honest, he almost did own it. Every girl had a crush on his effortless good looks, the dark hair and the cheeky smile. It didn't help that he was always in trouble. And although he frequented detention most weeks, the teachers couldn't help but like him too. He was a charmer, and worse, he knew it.

He had lost none of that charm when he greeted Lily at the door, swooping her into a big bear hug. His greeting was, if possible, even more enthusiastic when he saw James. The two friends had barely gone a week without communication since they had first met at Hogwarts, so their recent separation of a month had cut deep.

"James!" he called when he saw his friend, slapping him on the back in a manly fashion but unable to hide the goofy grin on his face. James was equally glad to see him, and showed no sign of the night just passed.

"Good to see you Padfoot! Where have you been?"

"Long story, but there are more important things first. Where's that son of yours?" Perplexed, James and Lily followed Sirius to the living room where Harry was waiting. Once there, Sirius flourished his wand, causing the dillusion charm to vanish. What was revealed took everyone by surprise.

"Happy belated birthday Harry!" said Sirius proudly, holding out the object to the boy. "This here is your very first broomstick, and I hope you use it well. Your father was an excellent Quidditch player in his day and I expect you to live up to the family tradition. It's how he won over your mother, you know."

"Oh Sirius, what have you done?" asked Lily, grinning nonetheless. "We'll never have any peace now."

"As his godfather," replied Sirius, "I consider it my duty to ruin any chance of peace in this household. It will do you good to run after him. Is that a bit of a belly, I see there James, after your confinement?" Sirius prodded his friend in the stomach, who then yelled and attempted to hex him.

Lily cast a shield spell between them, glaring mockingly at her husband.

"Lily!" cried James, trying futilely to push through it, however the spell was too strong.

"James!" countered Sirius, who had raised his voice in a joking impression of a girl. Lily then approached Sirius, a deadly gleam flickering in her eye.

"I'm sorry, I missed that. Do you think you could repeat it for me." Her wand dared him, threatened him as she waved it in front of his face. Sirius attempted a smile, all the while eyeing her wand.

"Nothing, Lily. I was simply ahem, attracting your husband's attention. To, tell him how wonderful you were…" His voice trailed off and he looked up at her hopefully.

"You sir, are ridiculous," she told him laughingly as she let both men up and released her spell. "What happened to Gryffindors being brave?" Sirius chose not to reply, and pointedly ignored James who was making faces at him from the corner where Lily could not see. Although it may have seemed like the three friends hated each other, nothing could be further from the truth. They were as close as anyone could be, but both men enjoyed winding each other up. As far as they were concerned, it was the best way to show affection.

"Anyway, shall we see how Harry goes on his new broom," ventured James after a short while. All parties agreed and so James ceremoniously placed Harry on the broom with strict instructions on how to fly. Lily hovered around anxiously, but she need not have worried. Even at one year old, Harry seemed to be a natural flyer.

James looked on proudly as Harry zoomed around the living room, cackling gleefully. Although he was avoiding all the obstacles at first, each round of the room brought him closer and closer to the old shelves, which held a number of knick-knacks. Lily, with the eyes of a mother, was the first to see the danger but James and Sirius were too busy watching Harry's enjoyment to notice. Deciding to take matters into her own hands, Lily waded into the battlefield to try and stop him.

She was too late.

A loud crash shook the house, followed by the inevitable wailing of Harry. Lily immediately rushed to him, holding him close and soothing him with her voice. James, however began examining the remains of the accident. "The broom's alright, Sirius," he called out, to all but Lily's relief. "The vase however, the one that your sister sent, is completely shattered. Reparo."

James' spell, unfortunately, was unable to fix the vase. Although the pieces fit together well enough, it was too damaged and a large crack ran down the side as a reminder of the incident. Lily threw a quick glance at it, moving her attention from Harry just for a moment. "Chuck it," she said, "it was hideous anyway, and this is a perfect excuse to get rid of it."

James did so with a grim pleasure. He was more than happy to remove any token from Lily's family, with whom he shared a terse relationship. He was angry at how Petunia and Vernon had treated Lily, because of the hurt that it had caused to his wife. Even when he thought of how they had refused to come to the wedding he would start shaking with frustration, and they hadn't even acknowledged Harry's birth! No, the house was far better off without the vase.

* * *

Once Harry had calmed, the adults returned him to his other toys, keeping the broom well away, despite his pleading desire to get back on it. They then retreated to comfortable seats by the window and started to talk.

"Tell us the news, Padfoot. Where have you been?" asked James, nursing the cup of tea Lily had just made for them all.

"Dumbledore sent me out, the day before Harry's birthday. He had me searching for and rounding up Death Eaters who were terrorizing Muggles down in Colchester. Apparently all the aurors were stretched too thin already to bother with an exclusively Muggle town. So I went, cast an awful lot of spells and almost got lynched by the townspeople there. Funny story that, they thought I was another one of _their lot_, and so tried to put a stop to it themselves. I managed to escape with some really impressive magic and started fighting the Death Eaters. Well, the Muggles took to me then and after I had managed to capture the Death Eaters and taken them to Azkaban, the Muggles made me have tea with every single one of them to say thanks!"

"Who were the Death Eaters?" asked Lily curiously, who had often visited Colchester as a child.

"It was actually only Royle, Avery and Fenir Greyback. None of the Lestranges unfortunately, but I suppose it was only the Death Eaters having some fun. There was nothing important enough for the bigwigs to get into.

But that only took up four days. The rest of the week, I was known as Snuffles. Dumbledore had me undercover as a stray in Diagon Alley, because he heard that Death Eaters were going to stage a major attack there. It's a shame you couldn't have come to keep me company Prongs, no one would have noticed a stag wandering the streets." Sirius loved to poke fun at James' animal of choice.

"Get a move on Padfoot. Stags might not be able to blend in around central London, but at least they're more majestic. But come, what happened next."

"Well I was there three days, and ahh, no Death Eaters came. So Dumbledore decided it was a false ruse and that was the end of my stint as Snuffles."

"Well that was an anti-climax, bit lame really," joked James. "But don't worry. You'll always be Snuffles to me."

"Shut up, James" he countered before Lily interrupted them both.

"Boys!"

Both apologised immediately, and conversation soon turned to other matters. Sirius stayed for the remainder of the day, only leaving once night fell. Apologising profusely, he stood to leave, telling them that Dumbledore had ordered a meeting that night that he had to be present at. Then, while James was busy, Sirius took Lily to one side.

"Look, I worry about the two of you, especially James. He doesn't do well with confinement. Send me letters, every week, just tell me what's happening in your lives. I don't care if it's trivial, I want to know. I'll do my best to pop in often, keep the two of you sane. And send those letters. Please."

"Of course," Lily whispered, before ushering him out the door as James came back. "And thank you." Sirius tipped his head in a slight nod to her words, waved at Harry and James and disapparated. It felt as if a hole was left where he had been standing.


	9. Chapter 9

Harry loved his broom, and would spend hours on it each day, as much as James and Lily would let him. He would fly around the house, only half a meter off the ground, terrorizing the cat and threatening to trip his parents up as they chased him around. Both felt they could not thank Sirius enough for the gift because it brought back a feeling of happiness into their lives, one that had been missing for several weeks. James' spirit was also lifted, as he felt sure that Sirius could not be the traitor. Not after this.

The Potter's joy was only to increase, when two days later, they received another visitor. It was now halfway through October and James and Lily had not left the house for over six months. And after staying away for three of these, Peter Pettigrew came to say hello.

He was not as warmly welcomed as the other visitors James and Lily had received over the months, although that was due to Peter's actions rather than their own. He crept in the door, almost as if he felt like an intruder, and called out in his nasally voice.

"Hello? Anyone home? Should I come back another time?" Lily quickly rushed to the door, Harry following closely on his broom. She went in for a hug to greet him, but he hastily stepped back, almost tripping on his robes.

"I'm afraid I have a little cold," he said, not meeting her eyes, "so please don't get too close, wouldn't want you to get sick now." Lily's bright eyes peered at him closely, but she made no further comment. To her, Peter looked perfectly well, just thinner than normal. Slightly haggard. This, however, she attributed to the war.

"Come in," she told him, ushering him inside, but being careful to keep a short distance between them. "James will be so pleased to see you."

"Aha, yes. It's wonderful visiting old friends," Peter muttered in replied, chancing for the first time a shifty glace up to Lily, who was beaming down at him. James, perhaps hearing the noise, came downstairs to see what was going on. At Lily's request he had been cleaning Harry's room, which looked as if a bomb had gone off inside the toybox. He was more than happy to take a break.

"Wormtail!" he called gleefully when he found his friend standing at the front door with Lily. "How are you? I'm almost finished upstairs, Lily," he then added at her slight questioning look. At this enthusiastic greeting, Peter looked almost as if he might be sick and seemed to regret coming in the first place. He glanced wistfully at his travelling cloak, which Lily had just hung up, but eventually followed the pair further into the house.

Once they all were seated, Peter stared at his hands, which he was constantly twisting and rubbing together. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, and it was only after a few moments that he realised Lily had been speaking to him.

"What was that, Lily, hmm?" he managed to ask, blinking up at her now concerned face.

"I was just asking if you were still living at your parents' house," she told him, more than a little perturbed that he had lost track of the conversation for so long. "It was always such a nice house, don't you think James?" James nodded his agreement, before looking expectantly at Peter for a reply. Swallowing nervously he answered in the affirmative, before asking about Harry, who had finally stopped flying on his broom and was sitting in Lily's arms and staring at Pettigrew.

"Harry's fine," said Lily, "it was his birthday a couple of months ago. We had a party, only you didn't come. Did you not get the invitation?" Her gentle probing seemed to annoy James, who perhaps thought there might be more to Lily's questioning than she was letting on. Lily's concern, however, was genuine. She was worried about Peter's state of mind.

"Oh, yes. The birthday. I was busy I'm afraid and then it slipped my mind I daresay. So sorry. So very sorry." He seemed eager to change the subject. "Have you been keeping well? The house is looking nice."

"Thank you," replied James, before Lily had the opportunity. "We find that since there's little else to do, and we spend so much time here, it's simple to keep it clean. I find it a tad unusual, though, I used to be so messy. Remember the dorm back at Hogwarts? Dreadful." He laughed, fondly thinking back to the times when he was at his happiest. Lily also smiled fondly at her husband, but Peter could only manage a pained twitching of the lips. More of a grimace than a true smile.

Luckily for him, it went unnoticed, and as Lily and James didn't appear to pick up any other signs of nervousness, Peter eventually began to relax, even joking a little. This further put the Potter's minds at ease, who assumed that Peter was just under stress from the war, and began trying to think of ways that they could ease his burden.

Unfortunately, before they could offer assistance to their friend, the clock struck four, and Peter immediately jumped up out of his seat.

"I must be off," he cried, "so sorry, but duty awaits. No need to see me to the door. Goodbye." And with that unceremonious farewell, he left, leaving Lily and James utterly bewildered.

"Goodbye," Lily said at the empty chair, before looking at James questioningly, whose shrug was the only reply.

"Well I'll just finish off Harry's room, then I'll come back down. That was certainly an interesting afternoon."


	10. Chapter 10

The owl, when it arrived, was small and so had been buffeted around in the strong, autumn winds. Lily was glad it only carried a small letter, or it was likely the owl would never have arrived at all. They didn't receive many owls these days, too easily intercepted. But once she had finally extracted the letter from the owl, which despite its size had a sharp bite, she was surprised to see Sirius' writing addressed to her. As she read it however, she relaxed. It was little more than a repeat of the request he had made last time he visited. She felt guilty for not having sent a letter in over a week. The first letter, which he had not replied to, had mentioned that nothing important had happened and she hadn't wanted to send a letter that said the same.

However, when Lily read the postscript of Sirius' letter, she changed her mind about waiting until she had an event to talk about.

_Ps: I understand that there is little to tell, but __even the simple things__ especially the simple things are a comfort during these times. I hope to hear from you soon – and give Prongs my good wishes. _

Lily sighed, and reached for ink to reply with all their daily meanderings. She sat at the table, quill in one hand, head in the other trying to decide how to fill the blank parchment that lay before her.

Her eyes cast about the room for inspiration, finally alighting upon the space on the shelves where the vase had just vacated. She smiled at the sight, having always hated the thing, which had been given to her as a wedding gift from her sister. It also brought back the warmth of Padfoot's last visit. Her quill dipped into ink and she began to write.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_Thank you, thank you, for Harry's birthday present! It was his favourite by far._

After that, the words came easily and soon she was forced to take another piece of parchment to tell Sirius more about the trivialities of their lives. Finishing the letter, she then put a photo in the envelope, one showing Harry zooming around on his broomstick from Sirius. She smiled at the memory, and reread over the letter.

When she neared the end of the letter, Lily frowned and slowly crossed out what she had written about Wormtail. She didn't want to have Sirius worrying about yet another of his friends, so replaced her original words with something a little more vague.

_Wormy was here last weekend, I thought he seemed a little down, but that was probably just the news about the McKinnons; I cried all evening when I heard._

There was a slight pang of guilt and she folded the letter up, and sealed it. The McKinnons had not died yet when Peter had come to visit. Still, she was sure there was nothing untoward with the man. He had always been the strangest of the four Marauders and he said he had been sick when he visited. That was all.

* * *

_Author's note: Another short chapter! I am so sorry. _


	11. Chapter 11

In Lily's opinion, James was the best at story telling. He would become the characters, shouting and whispering, wheezing and laughing, all as the story demanded. His movements were always outrageous as well, and on occasion he would be forced to stop because he had hit his elbow and was howling on the floor in mock agony. He would only break character when he caught Lily laughing at him, pausing the story to give her an embarrassed kiss, but when she turned away he was back in full force.

Harry agreed with his mother, James always had him roaring in laughter and he would always beg for just one more over and over and over. James always obliged, and so many hours had passed in this way.

That day was October 31th, Halloween, and to celebrate the occasion, James was telling Harry the story of the Shrieking Shack. Naturally, James knew the truth, he had in fact been an integral part of it, but to his son he related the ghost story that the inhabitants of Hogsmede loved to share. The story that they all thought was true.

"And then," James whispered, building suspense for his child who could only understand one word in five, "the ghosts would get angry, furious even! They would rattle their chains and moan and even howl. But it was the more violent ones that you should truly be scared of. In their rage they would tear apart the house, shattering everything that came into their path-"

"James," Lily interrupted, causing James to glare at her and Harry to sulk. "Don't go giving him nightmares. Besides, we have something special to do."

"Oh?"

"It's Halloween. We can't go trick or treating, or have a bonfire, so I thought we could have our own celebration. Harry will be too tired once it's dark, so maybe if we started now, we'll be bored by teatime?"

James smiled at her lovingly. "That sounds like an amazing idea. How about it Harry?" He gurgled up happily at them, and his parents smiled back. Lily then stood, and with her wand conjured black and silver streamers and draped them artfully around the room. Following her example, James made some candles, then transfigured them to form strange shapes; bats, gargoyles, ghosts and suchlike. Lily glanced at them approvingly.

"You always were the best at transfiguration," she told him proudly as he finished the last one.

"But your charms were unparalleled, my dear."

"Were?" she tilted her head at him quizzically, causing James to let out a low laugh.

"Were, are and always will be." He moved over to her, and kissed her on the forehead. "You managed to charm me alright." Lily stifled a snort and gave him a gentle push.

"Work on your one liners, my love," she laughed, and gave him her own kiss before magicking a white sheet onto him.

"Behold, Harry, the ghost of Godric's Hollow! More terrifying than any you could find in the Shrieking Shack!" James started to howl and groan, and produced coloured lights from the wand hidden beneath the sheet. He then advanced on Lily, who pretended to cower in terror. Harry laughed, clapping his hands. He loved it when his parents acted out stories for him together. As far as he was concerned they were even better than when James did it by himself.

The show over, James and Lily collapsed on the couch exhausted.

"All we need now, to complete our little Halloween party is a boggart," said James, referring to their duel three months past. Lily gave him a piercing look, which caused James to snigger all the harder. Harry then joined in, although he had no idea why his father was laughing. Outnumbered, Lily's good nature forced her to join in with mirth, and soon she was giggling with the rest of her family.

The Potter family then played games together, laughing and joking all the while. Lily's favourite was when she and James had a light competition, where both tried to produce the most spectacular light show for their son with varying spells. Lily, of course, was convinced that she won. James' efforts barely counted as pretty lights, but she knew that if she said so aloud, a mock battle would be unavoidable.

Naturally, James preferred it when he and Lily charmed paper bats to fly, while Harry tried to catch them on his broom.

"We'll make a seeker of him yet!" he said, causing his bats to fly faster and faster, until they began to elude Harry, who was happily snatching at the air with his chubby fists. Lily was watching him carefully, to make sure he didn't fall and she ensured her bats were easily caught. James laughed at her caution, but realised she was right and slowed his own bats down. Nevertheless, in his opinion, it was still the best game.

Unlike his parents, Harry would have been unable to choose. He loved the whole celebration, alternating between smiling and laughing and chatting away in an incomprehensible tongue. He loved his parents and when they were happy, so was he. As far as he was concerned, this was one of the best days ever.

It all changed that night.


	12. Chapter 12

Harry, exhausted from the afternoon's activities was slowly starting to drift off in his father's arms. Lily sat beside them both, talking gently with James, all three content and at peace.

However outside the house, a cloak could be heard slithering along the pavement over the dead and fallen leaves. Emerging from the black, hooded cloak were two skeletal hands, caressing a wand of equal paleness. The man's flashing red eyes beneath the cowl bespoke of enjoyment, as did the cruel smile that touched on his thin lips. Each slow step brought him closer to immortality, and he revelled in the power that coursed through his veins.

He looked up through the window where the curtains had not yet been drawn and laughed at their foolishness. He saw the way they leaned into each other, and he scorned their faith. They would see where that love ended up, and he would delight in their pain. His power, true power, would grind them into the dust.

Voldemort paused at their door, running his fingers over his wand as if to decide how he would go about the deed. Then, lifting the wand above his head, he brought it down with a force and the door splintered beneath his spell.

The Potters heard the bang, and were instantly on their feet. James shoved Harry into Lily's arms and, giving her a last kiss, rushed out into the hallway, whilst shouting "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

James had no wand, but still he stood proudly before Voldemort, ready to give his life for his son and wife. Voldemort did not hesitate, and with a flash of green light, he felled James with no more thought than he would crush an ant.

Lily, who had been unable to tear her eyes away, saw her husband, the love of her life, collapse to the floor, with all the laughter, spirit and love gone from his eyes. She didn't see what happened after that, tears blurred out the details and all she could do was run so that James' death would not be in vain.

Harry thought it was just another game, and could not understand why his father was not jumping up, laughing and proclaiming his vengeance. How cruel it was that they would die just after all their happiness, how quickly the tide turns. But there was no justice, not that night.

Voldemort laughed derisively as he followed Lily up the stairs. It had all been too easy. He therefore took his time in reaching them, blasting holes with his wand and causing as much damage as he could.

During this time, Lily had been piling furniture against the door to try keep Voldemort out, but it was a futile gesture. He simply blasted it all out of the way and entered the room to find Harry in his crib, in front of which stood Lily, arms outstretched, wand in hand and a wild look in her eyes.

Voldemort stared at her impassively. What fools women became once they had children, didn't they realise it was all for nothing. One day that child would die and be forgotten. Far better never to love at all. Still, he had promised Severus that he would not harm the wench.

"Step out of way," he ordered. She refused.

"Not Harry, please not Harry. Take me instead, not Harry."

Voldemort sighed, such a waste. She did not need to die. However he was not about to argue with a Mudblood, so raised his wand and screamed, "Avada Kedavra!"

Lily hit the floor with a mundane finality, and Voldemort stepped over her body to face her son. He would look into his eyes as he killed him, Voldemort had decided. Once more he lifted his wand, and whispered the words, almost lovingly.

"Avada Kedavra."

And then he screamed once again. Voldemort felt pain, more pain than he had ever felt in his life. But it was nothing. Nothing compared to the pain faced by the Potters that night, because even when they had lost everything, they had not lost love. There was always love, and that had the power to hurt the most.

* * *

_Author's note: And here we are, at the close. I hope you enjoyed reading this story, I certainly enjoyed writing it. A huge thank you to all who did read it, and especially to the reviewers and followers and all that jazz. I have no idea what to write next, for now I am content to bask in the glory of this piece (: But for one last time, thank you._


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